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CHAPTER SIX
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Chelsea's Round Two!
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Electric Boogaloo!
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It was four-fifteen in the afternoon – as clearly shown by the hands on Clock Tower Prison – when the group left the museum.
"Hey, Marlon," said Yumi, "we're going to head for the Restaurant District. Chelsea won us a free meal at some steakhouse. Care to join us?"
"Well, that does sound delightful," said Marlon, "but sadly, I must decline… I already made dinner plans that I really can't cancel. But the tournament is young… perhaps…"
"HEY! BITCH!" shouted a voice.
There was dead silence as everyone turned to where the shout had come from…
It came from a girl whose attire either suggested "punk" or "Goth"; it was hard to tell which. Her hair was short and raven-black, with a magenta streak. Her clothing was mostly leather, and included wristbands, a belt, and a collar studded with metal studs. Bandanas were wrapped around her wrists and thighs.
Her jacket held a badge that was at Green, and she wore a Duel Disk.
"And to think I had to convince my mom for two weeks that wearing a midriff wouldn't attract undue attention…" said Yumi. "Did you call me a bitch?"
"No," said the girl, "even though you likely are one. I called her a bitch."
She pointed to Chelsea.
Chelsea stared at her.
"I never start a fight without due cause…" she said through her teeth. "What did I ever do to you?"
"You humiliated my brother!" shouted the girl. "No one has the right to do what you did to his best Monster. Whenever he summons Emes, people cower before it!"
Chelsea grinned.
"So, the guy had a sister…" she chuckled. "And it seems like I really was the first one ever to beat that ugly four-armed abomination…"
"You had no right!" shouted the girl.
"I did, and I enjoyed doing it," said Chelsea. "And if you're thinking of doing anything about it, look over there…"
She pointed, and the girl looked.
A Centurion had been watching the whole time, and he clearly didn't like what he was seeing. He crossed his arms and glared at the girl.
The girl calmed down a little…
"All right then…" she said. "I'll defend him and his best card the proper way…"
She raised her Disk.
"Chelsea, old girl…" muttered Marlon. "The local constabulary is right there. If you simply said no, she couldn't do anything about it. Trust me, anyone who has defied the Centurions has regretted doing so."
"Don't worry yourself Marlon…" said Chelsea with a slight smile. "This is another member of Edan's group, and so far, the only thing I've ever gotten out of them is a big laugh."
She turned to the girl.
"So, you are?" she asked.
"Michelle," was the reply.
"So, let me guess… Amazons?"
"No…" answered Michelle, bluntly.
Chelsea frowned.
"Uhm… Fiends?"
"Let's just say my theme is something that takes a lot of folks by surprise," said Michelle.
They stood apart and shuffled.
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In the penthouse apartment, the strange man had long since grown bored of killing the same Duel Monster over and over and again (maybe he did get tired of it on occasion). Right now he was going over a set of decks.
He had only had one official duel today, using his most powerful deck. But as he had warned Nicholas and Olga, using it again wouldn't be wise until things really started to heat up. No need in attracting undue attention.
And he had more than one deck. In fact, he had several. Which one he used depended on what mood he was in.
He was making a few changes right now. Some of these decks had a few cards in common (none of them actually used that Meteo the Matchless card – that one he just kept as a souvenir) and they had a few similarities between them…
Finally, he placed all of them in a special belt with leather pouches and strapped it on.
He picked up his Duel Disk and got up. He needed some action while he was waiting for his employees to find out anything interesting…
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Chelsea and Michelle looked each other in the face as the two Disks activated.
The Centurion still watched from a distance, clearly ready to intervene in case a real fight started.
They quickly drew five cards apiece.
"Game on!" they shouted.
(Chelsea: 8,000) -------------------- (Michelle: 8,000)
"By the way, Chelsea…" said Michelle, "in case you're wondering, Mick was exaggerating when he said that Emes had never been defeated. I defeated it several times when I dueled him. He may have had a better Monster… But I'm by far the better duelist!"
"I'm so scared…" said Chelsea, sarcastically, drawing a sixth card. "Bring it!"
All right! she thought, looking at her cards. I couldn't have asked for a better first hand.
"Enjoying yourself?" asked a familiar voice next to her.
Chelsea turned and frowned. It was Figlio.
"Figlio, please…" muttered Chelsea. "I'm in the middle of something here, and I'm not in the mood for the same old bad jokes."
"You wound me," said Figlio. "I wouldn't hassle you with them…"
"Good…" said Chelsea.
"I have all new bad jokes," he said.
She closed her eyes in anger.
"If I lose because of you…" she snarled, "I putting your name in The Urn…"
Figlio bowed his head.
"I'll be good…" he whined.
"The Urn" was something Chelsea had gotten from an occult store after she had been bothered one time too many by spirits who were just too nasty. She supposedly had to write their names on slips of paper and place them in the clay pottery, and they'd be forbidden from ever coming near her. She was surprised when it actually worked. Usually, the threat of losing a human they could confide in was enough to stop a ghost from being obnoxious, although she had to make good on the threat several times when scolding didn't work.
"Now where was I?" she asked, looking at the cards. "Oh yes… I place two cards facedown, and summon Zombie Werewolf in Attack Mode."
Two facedown cards appeared, and the vicious werewolf materialized in front of her. He howled, as if at the moon. (1,200/1,200)
"That's all for now…"
"Not a bad start…" muttered Marlon. "Although her choice of Monsters is rather… odd…"
"Her dad used Archfiends…" said Ren. "She's just keeping with the sinister tradition of her family."
"Although…" said Yumi, "she did say that she had a Monster in her deck who's sort of a vampire slayer."
Marlon looked at her.
"A vampire slayer?" he asked. "Like Van Helsing? Never heard of anything like that…"
"She's never given its name…" answered Ren. "We think it's an incredibly rare card. Maybe even one that has yet to be distributed… Her dad is a card designer for Industrial Illusions."
Meanwhile, Michelle was choosing a card.
"I place one card facedown and a Monster in Defense Mode…" she said.
A facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.
"Attack me," she said with a grin. "I dare you…"
"Oh, I dare all right…" said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"I summon Vampire Lady!"
She played the card, and the sultry female vampire appeared. (1,550/1,550)
Vampire Lady and Zombie Werewolf turned to each other and nodded.
"Vampire Lady, attack her facedown Monster!" shouted Chelsea.
Vampire Lady's eyes glowed. She flew forward. An odd creature appeared kneeling on the card. It looked like a tall, thin man colored orange whose body was… a battery?
Vampire Lady slashed with her claw, and it shattered.
"What was that?" asked Ren.
"Uhm, I believe it was one of those Batteryman chaps," said Marlon. "First time I've seen one, though…"
"A Batteryman AA, to be specific!" said Michelle with a grin.
"What are you smiling about?" asked Chelsea. "You just lost your Monster, and I have another one. Zombie Werewolf, attack Michelle directly! Terror claw!"
Zombie Werewolf sprang up and slashed at Michelle's chest with his claw. She grunted and staggered backwards.
(C: 8,000) -------------------- (M: 6,800)
"Guess she's more of a cat person," chuckled Figlio.
"Not bad…" said Michelle. "But now I'm going to show you just how much of a bitch I'm capable of being!"
She drew a card.
"First I play Graceful Charity…" she said, holding up the card. "You know how it works, I'm sure…"
She drew three cards.
And I know just who to toss… she thought, discarding two cards.
"Now I play the Spell Card, Battery Charger…" she said.
As she played the card, a bulky machine resembling an electric generator crackling with energy rose up behind her.
"Now, by paying only 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Batteryman from my Graveyard, and unlike Premature Burial, this card isn't an Equip, so there's no lifeline for you to destroy."
Batteryman AA appeared, now in full light. It was a cute-looking robot with oversized hands and legs, and the battery that made up its torso had the number 3 on it. Its eyes flashed, and electricity sparked from its hands. (0/0)
"Big deal…" said Chelsea. "It has zero Attack Points."
"Not quite…" replied Michelle. "For each Batteryman AA I have in the same Mode, they each gain 1,000 points for the corresponding score, so long as all of them stay in the same Mode."
(1,000/0)
"Still not…" started Chelsea.
"Enough?" asked Michelle. "How about this? I play Inferno Reckless Summon!"
She played the card, and two more Batterymen AA appeared on her side of the field. They all crackled with electricity…
(3,000/0 x3)
"She summoned three Monsters with 3,000 Attack Points each in one turn?" gasped Ren in disbelief.
"Don't forget…" said Chelsea, taking her deck. "Inferno Reckless Summon works for me too…"
She placed two cards on her Disk, and two more Vampire Ladies appeared. (1,550/1,550 x2)
"Good!" laughed Michelle. "I'll have all the more fun killing them! But I'll get to them in a second. First, I'll reveal my facedown card…"
Her facedown card flipped up.
"It's a Trap called Solar Ray, and it zaps you for 600 points of damage for every Light Monster I've got."
A beam of light shot out of the card and struck Chelsea. She screamed in pain.
"Now I'll make one of my Batterymen even stronger," continued Michelle, by Equipping him with this… Chthonian Alliance."
She played the card, and the Batteryman in the center glowed with dark energy.
"It gives him 800 more Attack Points for every Monster on the field who has the same name as he does. Do the math."
(4,600/0)
"Now go! Attack her vamps!"
Electricity sparked from the three Batterymen…
"I activate Widespread Ruin!" shouted Chelsea, as her own Trap Card lifted. "Now your strongest Monster, meaning your Equipped Batteryman, is about to short-circuit!"
The Equipped Batteryman exploded in a blast of light.
Chelsea paused to catch her breath.
"And without him, the other two lose 1,000 Attack Points…"
Michelle sneered.
"I can still fricassee two of your Zombies!" she shouted. "You… kill her Vampire Lady!"
One of two remaining Batterymen shot bolts of lightning, and the Vampire Lady on the right screamed as she was electrocuted and then reduced to dust.
"Better than a wooden stake," chuckled Michelle. "You… Attack her Werewolf!"
The last Batteryman shot his bolts of lightning, and Zombie Werewolf howled before he exploded.
"Bad idea…" said Chelsea. "When Zombie Werewolf is destroyed in battle, I get to summon a new one, with 500 more Attack Points."
A new Zombie Werewolf appeared, and howled angrily. (1,700/1,200)
Michelle looked nervously…
"I haven't Normal Summoned yet," she said, "so I'll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and take a break."
A facedown Monster appeared.
(C: 4,950) -------------------- (M: 6,300)
"Uh, I'm not very familiar with this game…" muttered Figlio, "but it seems to me that you're losing…"
"Brilliant deduction, Holmes," muttered Chelsea.
"Holmes?" asked Figlio. "Who's that?"
Chelsea sighed.
"Look," she said, "when we get back to Domino, talk to Lady Akemi. You need to read more…"
She drew a card.
She played it, and the Pot of Greed appeared in front of her with a chuckle.
"I'll take two, for starters…" she said, drawing two cards.
She gave them a look.
"Then I'll sacrifice one Vampire Lady for Vampire Lord."
One of the female vampires vanished in an aura of shadow, and the stronger, male one appeared. (2,000/1,500)
"A fat lot of good he'll do you," said Michelle. "He and my Batterymen are equally matched."
"Not for long…" said Chelsea. "Zombie Werewolf, attack the Batteryman on the left!"
Zombie Werewolf howled…
"What in blazes?" asked Marlon. "That's suicide!"
"Watch…" said Yumi.
Zombie Werewolf charged the Batteryman, and it threw a punch, shocking the Werewolf and blowing him to bits.
"It cost me 300 Life Points," said Chelsea, "but I have three Werewolves in my deck, and now I can summon the third one, and he'll be even stronger."
A third Zombie Werewolf appeared, and howled. (2,200/1,200)
"And my Battle Phase continues…" said Chelsea. "Zombie Werewolf, take out that Batteryman!"
The Werewolf lunged at the Batteryman, and this time the Zombie was too strong for it. With a slash of a claw, the Thunder Monster shattered.
The last Batteryman fell to an Attack of 1,000.
"Vampire Lord, take out the last one! Children of the night!"
Vampire Lord grinned evilly, and a swarm of bats flew at the Batteryman. It exploded into pieces.
"Now I activate his effect," said Chelsea. "I'll declare Spell Card."
Michelle smirked and looked through her deck, as if she had been expecting that.
She took a certain Spell Card and discarded it.
"One Monster left…" said Chelsea. "Vampire Lady, attack!"
Vampire Lady flew towards the facedown Monster…
Magician of Faith appeared on the card, and shattered under a swipe of her claw.
"Uh… oh…" muttered Ren.
"Heh, heh…" chuckled Chelsea. "Now I can reclaim one Spell Card from my Graveyard, and I believe I'll choose the incredibly powerful one that I discarded due to your Lord's effect."
She took a card from her discard slot.
"Thanks for your help…" she said, adding it to her hand. "This was buried so deep in my deck, I don't know if I ever would have gotten to it otherwise."
She showed her the card. It was a frightening-looking card that showed the picture of a fat devil sitting at a table laden with foodstuffs. The card's name was Hunger For Power.
"I'd love to explain how it works, but hopefully, we'll get to it later…" said Michelle with a wicked grin.
Chelsea looked at her hand.
She fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared next to the other one.
"Your move…" she muttered.
(C: 4,650) -------------------- (M: 5,100)
"Looks like Michelle played the old girl like a grand piano," said Marlon.
"Yes," said Yumi. "Vampire Lord seems like a great Monster on the surface, but he does have a weakness. You can tell your opponent to discard a Spell, Trap, or Monster, but he gets to choose which one.
"And cards are much easier to recover from the Graveyard than from your deck. That makes it a problem.
"Only an idiot uses his ability to make his opponent discard a Monster. An opponent would discard a strong one, and any number of cards could Special Summon it to the field.
"Trap Cards are difficult to recover from the grave, but declaring Traps might only help an opponent thin his deck by getting rid of cards that would be worthless against Vampire Lord. What does Chelsea care if Michelle uses Mirror Force or Torrential Tribute? Vampire Lord will just come back on her next turn.
"Spells are the safest option, but as you saw, even that has perils."
Michelle drew a card.
"I play the Spell Card, Rechargeable Battery," she said, playing a card. "Now, I get to draw once for each Batteryman in my Graveyard, at the cost of skipping my Battle Phase for this turn. But, I can't draw more than the hand size limit would allow. So, since I have two other cards in my hand, now I get to draw four cards…"
"Whaddaya mean four cards?" shouted Chelsea. "You only have three Batterymen in there!"
"Wrong," said Michelle. "I played Graceful Charity. The cards I discarded were a Batteryman C and a Batteryman D. Three types of Batterymen, each one with a cool effect."
She made four draws, and looked at her hand.
"I'll place this facedown, and end my turn," she said.
A facedown card appeared.
"No Monsters at all?" asked Chelsea. "You're up to something…"
She drew a card.
"I activate… Thunder of Ruler!" shouted Michelle.
Her facedown card flipped up, and an imposing man in gold armor appeared. He shot a volley of lightning bolts from his fingertips, and Chelsea grit her teeth in shock and her hair almost stood on end.
"Afraid that this turn, your Battle Phase is skipped…" said Michelle with a grin.
"No kidding…" said Chelsea, with a frown, as she tucked the card she had drawn into her hand. "In that case, I'll pass for this turn. I do hope you aren't a one-shot wonder."
"Oh, I'm not…" said Michelle, drawing a sixth card.
She looked at it.
"Once again…" she said, "I play Battery Charger."
She played the card, and the strange machine rose up behind her again.
"But this time, I think I'll leave my Batterymen AA where they are, and summon my Batteryman C in Attack Mode."
A new cute robot appeared on the field. It was shorter and stouter than the Batterymen AA, colored blue, with a big D on its torso. Electricity danced around it. (0/0)
"Next…" continued Michelle, "I'll play a second Inferno Reckless Summon."
She played the Spell Card, and two more Batterymen C appeared on her side of the field. (0/0 x2)
"Now you're being foolish…" said Chelsea, taking her deck. "I'll use that effect to summon my other Vampire Lord."
She placed a card on her deck, and a second Vampire Lord appeared next to the first. (2,000/1,500)
"I'm hardly done…" said Michelle. "Next I'll summon this lady in Attack Mode… Meet Nanobreaker."
She played a card, and a tall figure appeared in a beam of light. It was a coldly beautiful female android, with long, dark hair, dressed in silvery armor, holding a broad, wavy sword that glowed with colored lights. (1,600/1,800)
Michelle grinned.
"Now, I doubt Machines like Nanobreaker run on batteries," she said, "at least ones you buy at the drug store. But Machine Monsters just love Batterymen C, because for each one on the field, they get 500 points added to the Score of whatever Mode the Batterymen are in."
The Batterymen sparked with electricity, and Nanobreaker grinned with glee as it flowed into her. She rose to an Attack of 3,100.
"And if you think my Batterymen will be easy pickings because they have zero Attack Points, think again…"
She fit a card into her Disk.
"I'm Equipping one of them with United We Stand."
"That card…" muttered Ren. "It…"
"It raises the Equipped Monster's Attack Score by 800 for every Monster she has on the field," said Yumi. "And she has four. Not a good situation for Chelsea…"
The central Batteryman sparked with energy, and rose to (3,200/0).
"All right!" shouted Michelle. "Nanobreaker, attack her Vampire Lord on the left! Nano-blade!"
Nanobreaker lifted her sword and leapt towards the vampire.
"Sorry, Michelle, I had a Trap ready!" shouted Chelsea. "I activate Red Ghost Moon!"
One of her two Traps lifted, and a sinister, red harvest moon appeared behind her, to the sound of haunting laughter. Nanobreaker's eyes appeared glazed over, and she stumbled back in confusion.
"Now, I simply need to discard one Zombie from my hand," said Chelsea, "like my Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower…"
She discarded the card.
"And not only is your attack negated, but this Battle Phase ends now, and Nanobreaker's Attack Score gets added to my Life Points."
Red dust fell from the Red Ghost Moon onto Chelsea, and she glowed with eerie light. Figlio shuddered in fear.
"Who'd have thought a ghost could get frightened?" asked Chelsea.
"I may be a ghost…" said Figlio, "but I don't associate with more horrific ones."
"Not bad," said Marlon. "Not bad at all. That was quite a turnaround."
"It sure surprised me," said Ren. "She's clearly been working on her deck."
Michelle looked at the rest of her hand.
"I'll place a card facedown, and end my turn…" she said.
She slipped it into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
(C: 7,750) -------------------- (M: 4,600)
Chelsea drew a card.
Ryu Kokki… she thought.
She looked over the field.
I got an idea… she thought. First, I'll sacrifice Vampire Lady to summon this guy. Then, I'll attack one of her unequipped Batterymen with one of my Vampire Lords, which will bring the Equipped one down to 2,600 Attack Points. Then I'll attack that other unequipped one with another Vampire Lord, leaving her with 600 Life Points. Then I'll attack the Equipped one with Ryu Kokki, and this duel will be over…
She paused.
All unless that facedown card is a Trap that would wipe out my side. But if it is, I still have my last facedown card to buffer some of the damage.
She played a card.
"I sacrifice Vampire Lady for Ryu Kokki!" she shouted.
Vampire Lady vanished in a cloud of shadows, and a huge form rose out of the ground with a great rumbling. It was a hulking behemoth, as broad as it was tall, made entirely of bones and skulls, with an evil face. It let out a sinister chuckle. (2,400/2,000)
"Vampire Lord, attack the unequipped Batteryman!" she shouted.
Vampire Lord raised his cape, and the swarm of bats shot forward…
"I activate… Negate Attack!" shouted Michelle.
Her Trap Card flipped up, and the bats were absorbed into a vortex of energy.
"Your attack has been stopped before it could begin," laughed Michelle. "And now you can't attack again this round."
Chelsea grimaced.
"Okay…" she muttered. "I'll move my Zombie Werewolf and my other Vampire Lord to Defense Mode, and end my turn."
The second Vampire Lord knelt and covered himself with his cape, and the Werewolf knelt down and shielded himself.
Michelle drew a card.
Hmm, my third Battery Charger… she thought. Think I'll save it…
"Nanobreaker, attack the Vampire Lord in Attack Mode!" she shouted.
Nanobreaker leapt, and with one swipe of her blade, cut the vampire down. He shattered into triangles.
"Batteryman, attack Ryu Kokki!" she shouted. "Battery blast!"
The Equipped Batteryman fired lightning bolts, and the Bone Dragon Ogre shattered into bone fragments.
(C: 5,750) -------------------- (M: 4,600)
"I'm still winning…" muttered Chelsea.
"Not for long…" laughed Michelle. "Your move…"
Chelsea drew.
"Ergh, I have to pass!" she shouted.
Michelle drew a card.
She smirked and added it to her hand.
"Go! Destroy her Zombies!"
Nanobreaker slashed with her sword, and cleaved Zombie Werewolf in two. Batteryman C shot bolts of lightning and incinerated the other Vampire Lord.
"Chelsea's really getting schooled…" muttered Ren.
"Let's just hope her next draw is something good," said Yumi. "She has nothing left except that facedown card, and if it were something that could have protected her, she'd have used it already."
Chelsea slowly drew a card.
She smirked.
"I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted!" she shouted.
The facedown card flipped up, and an elaborate, mahogany coffin rose onto the field. It opened with a creak, and Vampire Lord stepped out, his eyes glowing red.
"Now I remove him from play…" continued Chelsea, "to Special Summon Vampire Genesis!"
The vampire vanished, and the hulking, terrible vampire deity appeared with a great roar. (3,000/2,100)
"Three grand?" shouted Michelle.
"Soon to be more," said Chelsea, playing a card. "Next I play Rush Recklessly, upping his Attack to 3,700 for one round.
"Now… Attack the Equipped Batteryman C! Crimson shroud!"
Vampire Genesis burst into a cloud of red mist, and shot forward. The Batteryman exploded into a burst of light.
(C: 5,750) -------------------- (M: 4,100)
"Huh?" asked Ren. "Why didn't she attack one of the ones with zero Attack Points? Michelle would have lost 3,700 Life Points."
"Mmm, yes…" said Marlon, "but she still would have had 900 Life Points left. And if Michelle had summoned even one more Monster, the Equipped Batteryman would have grown back to 3,200 Attack Points. Chelsea would have lost Vampire Genesis, and would have taken a direct attack by Nanobreaker. So she made a smarter move."
Michelle just looked at Chelsea.
She drew a card.
"I'll move all three of my Monsters to Defense Mode…" she said.
The two Batterymen C and Nanobreaker knelt in Defense.
"And since my two Batterymen are now in Defense Mode, Nanobreaker gains 1,000 Defense Points.
(1,600/2,800)
"So I see…" said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"I summon Vampire Bat in Attack Mode," she exclaimed.
She played the card, and a swarm of bats flew overhead. They flew together, forming into one giant bat. (800/800)
"When Vampire Bat is on the field," said Chelsea, "all Zombies gain 200 Attack Points."
Vampire Genesis rose to 3,200 Attack, and Vampire Bat itself rose to 1,000.
"Vampire Bat, attack another Batteryman! Nightmare scourge!"
The bat split into a swarm of bats again, and flew at the Batteryman. It exploded like the first one did.
"Vampire Genesis, attack Nanobreaker!"
Vampire Genesis's crimson shroud flew forward. Nanobreaker tried to shield herself, but she fell over and exploded into bits.
"Your move, Michelle," said Chelsea. "Only one Batteryman left…"
Michelle grit her teeth and drew a card…
And then she smiled.
"This doesn't look good…" muttered Figlio.
"No…" said Chelsea. "You think?"
Michelle took two cards from her hand.
"I play my final Battery Charger," she said, "and bring back one Batteryman AA."
The strange machine rose again, and the orange Batteryman appeared once again. (0/0)
(C: 5,750) -------------------- (M: 3,600)
"Now then…" she continued, "it's time to show you what my Hunger For Power card can do. Listen up, because this gets kind of complicated…
"It's sort of like the opposite of Cost Down. I choose one Monster in my hand. The Level of that Monster is increased by two for one round. In exchange for that, if I summon it in the same round, it gains 500 Attack Points."
She played the card.
"Thus, the Level Five Monster I'm holding now becomes a Level Seven Monster."
"Why the heck would she…" started Yumi.
She paused.
"Oh… no…" she said.
"What…" asked Ren. "It seems like an uneven tradeoff to me…"
"No…" said Yumi. "Given the nature of Michelle's deck, that card is a tremendous benefit…"
"So now…" said Michelle. "I sacrifice Batteryman AA and Batteryman C…"
The two Batterymen vanished into orbs of light…
"To summon my Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon!"
A huge creature appeared over the field. It resembled a dragon or a dinosaur in outline, but it was made of sparkplugs, switches, circuits, and other electric paraphernalia. Its eyes were two glowing red blinking lights, and its claws were metal and razor sharp.
It roared a bellow that sounded metallic and feral at the same time. (2,400/1,000)
"Let me explain how this big guy works," said Michelle. "If you summon him by sacrificing a Batteryman, he gains one of three effects, based on which type of Batteryman you sacrifice.
"And since I increased his Level to Seven, I was able to sacrifice two different Batterymen, and get two effects!
"First, Batteryman C gives him a trampling effect.
"Second, Batteryman AA gives him 1,000 extra Attack Points.
"And due to the effect of Hunger For Power, he gains 500 additional Attack Points!"
(3,900/1,000)
"It's been swell…" said Michelle. "Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon, destroy Vampire Genesis with electric blast!"
The Dragon shot a blast of pure electricity from its jaws, and Vampire Genesis was blown to bits.
"NO!" screamed Ren. "That was her best Monster!"
(C: 4,850) -------------------- (M: 3,600)
"Make your move," ordered Michelle.
Chelsea drew.
There it is… she thought, looking at the card. MY card. The card dad made for me…
She looked at her hand, then she looked at Vampire Bat.
Oh, but I can't use it now…
"I pass for this turn…" she muttered.
Michelle drew a card.
"I play Pot of Greed…" she said.
The jar appeared, and she drew twice.
"Next, I'll play Monster Reborn, to bring back Nanobreaker…" she said.
She played the card, and the golden ankh appeared in the air. Nanobreaker stepped out, and her eyes glowed. (1,600/1,800)
Then she opened her Field Slot.
"Next, I'll play the Field Spell, Luminous Spark, to make my Dragon even stronger."
She fit the card in the slot, and a bright light fell over the field. The Dragon grew to (4,400/600)
"You're through!" shouted Michelle. "Nanobreaker, destroy her Bat!"
Nanobreaker swung with her sword, and Vampire Bat scattered into its component bats…
But then they flew back together and reformed.
"Huh?" asked Michelle.
"Vampire Bat has another ability," said Chelsea, slipping a card into her discard slot. "At any time it would be destroyed, I can discard another one from my hand or deck to negate the destruction. And I have two in my deck."
Michelle frowned.
"So you survive one more round," she said. "Super Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon, attack!"
The Dragon breathed it electric blast, and the Bat was vaporized.
(C: 850) -------------------- (M: 3,600)
"No Monsters left, Chelsea," she said, "so make your last move."
This will be the last move all right, said Chelsea, drawing a card, and it will end in her defeat…
She played a Spell Card.
"I play Call of the Mummy," she said. "Now, so long as I have no Monsters on my side of the field, I can Special Summon a Zombie to my side of the field, no matter how powerful it is."
The sky began to darken…
"And I choose to summon my most powerful card… A woman who's both a vampire and a vampire slayer… My father's latest creation… Come forward, Penelope, Lady of the Night!"
In an aura of mist, a beautiful woman stepped onto the field. She was clothed in a white gown, with a golden cross around her neck. Her skin was milky white, her eyes were sky blue, and her long hair was raven-black and billowy. She held a staff in her hand that was topped with a golden crescent moon with a red orb inside.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Michelle. (1,000/200)
"What the…" muttered Michelle, in shock. "She… she kinda looks like you! Only older… and scarier…"
Chelsea nodded.
"There's a legend behind her, which I'll only share with friends. But before you underestimate her for being weak, listen closely. She can't be Normal Summoned – I have to find a way to Special Summon her somehow. But when she is summoned, she has two potent abilities. First, when she's summoned, all Spells and Traps on the field are destroyed.
The Luminous Spark and Call of the Mummy cards shattered.
"Second, as a vampire slayer, she gains power from undead who have perished. So for every Zombie-Type Monster in my Graveyard, she gains 400 Attack Points."
"Each one?" gasped Yumi.
"I kinda lost count…" muttered Ren. "HOW many Zombies are in her Graveyard right now?"
"Let's see…" muttered Marlon. "Three Vampire Ladies, three Zombie Werewolves, two Vampire Lords… Oh wait, she removed one of those from play…"
"I'll make it easy for you," said Chelsea. "There are twelve Zombies in my Graveyard right now, making Penelope's Attack Score… Well, you said you were good at math…"
(5,800/200)
"No… way…" muttered Michelle.
"Hey, it was your own fault…" said Chelsea. "Your own strategy did you in. Need I remind you, you played Inferno Reckless Summon twice?"
Michelle growled.
"Fine!" she shouted. "Attack my Dragon. I'll still have Life Points left, and I can still turn it around!"
Chelsea shook her head.
"Your Dragon isn't my target," she said. "There's another Monster on your side of the field that I can attack…"
Michelle looked…
"ARGH!" she shouted. "Nanobreaker is in Attack Mode!"
"With far fewer Attack Points, I might add…" said Chelsea. "Penelope, attack Nanobreaker! Light of vengeance!"
What could best be described as a personal lightning storm erupted around Penelope, and a blast of pure light shot at the android. Nanobreaker exploded, and Michelle was propelled backwards.
(C: 850) -------------------- (M: 0)
"Is it over?" asked Figlio, who was cowering.
Penelope and the Dragon vanished.
"Yeah…" said Chelsea, "why don't you watch Ren duel next time? His Monsters aren't as scary."
She looked at her badge, which was now at Green.
She walked up to Michelle.
"Go tell Edan that if you and your brother are the best he can throw at me, he's in big trouble. Until he decides to face me in person, I'm through dealing with his goons."
Michelle scrambled to her feet and ran away in fear.
The Centurion who had been watching nodded to Chelsea, and then he turned and walked off.
Ren and Yumi ran up to her with Marlon in tow.
"So, Chelsea…" said Ren. "You said there was a legend behind her that you would share with friends…"
Chelsea looked at the card.
"Yeah…" she said. "A very strange one…"
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The minute hand on Clock Tower Prison reached the top, and five loud chimes rang out.
The duelists were sitting on a park bench as Chelsea looked at the card.
"About three years after my folks got married," she said, "when I was only two, they went on vacation in France, my mom's home country, and she was browsing in the Library of the Port-Royal Society in Paris, a place where they keep a lot of old books. She was drawn to one old tome, which was written in Frankish, one of the old languages of the country. Mom had taken an elective in old languages, and she was able to read it with little difficulty.
"She found that it was a collection of tales of the supernatural, or so it seemed. Strangely, however, she couldn't tell whether this book was fiction… or history.
"In it, she found the story of Penelope. Now, according to this source, this young maiden who lived in the sixteenth century was connected to the church somehow… Perhaps she was an initiate at a convent, or maybe she was a priestess from some splinter group who allowed such things.
"Anyway, the story told of a terrible night when a savage vampire ambushed her, and fed on her blood, draining her dry. She didn't survive, sadly, and woke the next night, cursed with vampirism herself. And before long, she heard the monster calling to her, telling her to join him.
"Usually, that's how it goes… A vampire's victim becomes his slave. But Penelope was able to resist the callings. She covered her ears with her hands and ran to the nearest place of worship. Only there were the monster's calls deafened by the hallowed ground.
"How she resisted, no one is sure. Some say that her faith was so great, her soul was able to fight off the darkness that tried to infect it, unlike most vampires. But she didn't know what to do.
"She did the only thing she could do… She prayed…
"And eventually, someone answered. A beautiful form came out of the darkness and touched her. The form had bad news… It could not restore her to what she once was. The dead could not be restored to life. But it told her that the seed of evil that was planted inside her could be purged if she was willing to fight the unholy spawn with all her strength. Penelope said yes, and she had a very good reason for doing so... She had nothing left to lose.
"The being told her how to do it, and she left the church, and was immediately beset by the calling again. She fashioned a makeshift wooden stake and found a mallet, and followed its voice. She took the monster by surprise… and silenced the voice.
"It was only the beginning. By night, she hunted for vampires and similar creatures. At every dawn, she dug herself a makeshift grave in the earth and slept, safe from the sun which was now a danger. The common folk saw her now and again. Sometimes her quarry had valuables that had been stolen from victims. She had no use for them, so she gave them to the impoverished. The common folk regarded her as a savior, and called her by many names, among them, The Lady of the Night, seeing as that was the only time they saw her.
"It's unclear how long this went on… It might have been ten years, it might have been a century. But eventually, she fell asleep, and some say a hand from Heaven took her out of her grave and lifted her into the afterlife.
"Anyway, this story seemed captivating. Mom photocopied it, and she tried to find information on the author with research, but without success. Internet search engines came up with nothing. She started to believe that the book was written by some lower-class author who had actually spoken to Penelope. Sort of like a forerunner to Interview With the Vampire, to make a comparison.
"When she told my dad, he got the idea to immortalize Penelope in card form… Slowly at first, but it eventually took shape. This version I have was approved after about thirty versions were turned down.
"And since that book had no illustrations and no physical description of Penelope… Well, it was my dad's gift to me…"
"Heh, heh, heh," said Marlon. "A smashing good story indeed. Although I dare say the book your mum found may well have been a book of children's bedtime stories…"
"You never know…" said Chelsea, as she shuffled the card back into her deck.
"Ah, well," said Marlon. "It's been swell hanging out with you three, but I must be going… Perhaps we'll meet again."
"Bye!" they all said, as he got up and left.
"So…" said Yumi, looking at her watch. "It's five-fifteen… Should we find the Sizzling Sirloin?"
With two victories under her belt, Chelsea moves up to Green, and the group may have worked up an appetite. But Day One is far from over – in fact, it may be just starting!
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VAMPIRE BAT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK:
800
DEF: 800
Card Description: When this card is face-up on your side of the field, increase the ATK of all Zombie-Type Monsters on the field by 200. If this card would be destroyed, you may discard one "Vampire Bat" from your hand or deck to negate the destruction. (Damage calculation still applies, if applicable.)
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0
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RED GHOST MOON (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A stone bridge leading up to an ominous red harvest moon.
Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Discard one Zombie-Type Monster from your hand. Negate the attack and end the current Battle Phase. The Attack Points of the attacking Monster are then added to your Life Points.
Note: "Vampire Bat" and "Red Ghost Moon" were first used by Camula in the multi-part "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Field of Screams". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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0
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PENELOPE, THE LADY OF THE NIGHT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK:
1,000
DEF: 200
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. When this card is Special Summoned successfully, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field. Increase the ATK of this card by 400 for every Zombie-Type Monster in your Graveyard.
Note: "Penelope, the Lady of the Night" first appeared in "Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Messiah".
0
0
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RECHARGEABLE BATTERY (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A Batteryman AA hooking itself up to a generator with cables.
Card Description: Draw one card for every "Batteryman" Monster in your Graveyard. You must stop drawing cards when your hand size reaches the current hand size limit. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase on the turn you use this card.
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0
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HUNGER FOR POWER (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A fat devil sitting at a table laden with foodstuffs.
Card Description: Choose one Monster Card in your hand. The Level of the chosen card is increased by two for the remainder of the turn. If you summon the chosen card during this turn, increase its ATK by 500.
Note: "Hunger For Power" was created by author Angel of Blades. Used with permission.
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Ren: You know, Hunger For Power was an interesting card, but now I'm just plain hungry.
Chelsea: Don't worry, we'll be at the restaurant before you know it.
Yumi: But I doubt the food will truly be free. Mick had an evil look in his eye…
Coming up next, "Steakhouse Scuffle! Royal Shadow Warrior".
Chelsea: And maybe we'll get to see your trump card Ren.
Yumi: And Sam and Erik might show up too.
Ren: Think we'll get to see them duel?
Yumi: You never know…